Variable Cycle Engine Technology Program Planning and Definition Study

The variable stream control engine, VSCE-502B, was selected as the base engine, with the inverted flow engine concept selected as a backup. Critical component technologies were identified, and technology programs were formulated. Several engine configurations were defined on a preliminary basis to serve as demonstration vehicles for the various technologies. The different configurations present compromises in cost, technical risk, and technology return. Plans for possible variably cycle engine technology programs were formulated by synthesizing the technology requirements with the different demonstrator configurations

Standard Errors: How Budget Rules Distort Lawmaking

The article argues that the Congress’s budget process has invisibly influenced its legislative activities and structurally skewed its policy choices. The budgetary structure and tools as they affect lawmaking are largely unanalyzed. Until they are widely appreciated, they may often be random, inefficient, unrepresentative, and even deceptive. Review, critique, and change are overdue in any case. Inasmuch as the Congress is now, after a period of budget anarchy, debating how to refocus on the budget, this is a particularly good time for such activities. The article also argues that additional structures are needed to “counter-balance” both the skewing that results from the current rules and the sheer centrality of the budget in policymaking. In a fundamental way, Congress should review its simplistic focus on the restraint of monetary deficits alone. In the long run, future generations may be equally or better served by the creation of budget-like restraints on non-monetary deficits, such as increased disability, diminished public health, or permanent environmental damage. The structures that have shaped financial decisions in the past may offer solutions to these problems in the future. The article is laid out in four parts. Part One provides a brief historical background of the Congressional budget process, including its roots in Public Choice Theory. Part Two consists of an explanation of four non-obvious concepts essential to understanding the basics of the budget process. Part Three is a series of observations of some serious effects of the process in lawmaking. Part Four lays out suggestions for “counter-balancing” the budget process, including extension some of the Public-Choice remedies to non-monetary measures

Following the Money: The ACA’s Fiscal-Political Economy and Lessons for Future Health Care Reform

It is no exaggeration to say that American health policy is frequently subordinated to budgetary policies and procedures. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was undeniably ambitious, reaching health care services and underlying health as well as health insurance. Yet fiscal politics determined the ACA’s design and guided its implementation, as well as sometimes assisting and sometimes constraining efforts to repeal or replace it. In particular, the ACA’s vulnerability to litigation has been the price its drafters paid in exchange for fiscal-political acceptability. Future health care reformers should consider whether the nation is well served by perpetuating such an artificial relationship between financial commitments and health returns

Genetic Investigations of Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes Spp.) Populations along the Gulf of Mexico Coast

Salt marshes serve as essential habitat for many organisms. Grass shrimp of the genus Palaemonetes encompass approximately 25 to 70 percent of nekton within salt marsh edge habitat, serving as prey items for commercially and recreationally important fish species and playing an integral role in the breakdown of detrital materials. Morphological identification of species within the genus Palaemonetes is challenging; therefore, development of reliable genetic methods of species identification would be useful. Unambiguous identification of individual species is crucial in population studies to eliminate the inclusion of cryptic species. The objective of this study was to develop a reliable genetic assay for identification of Palaemonetes spp. High Resolution Melting Analysis (HRMA) of amplified products was used to genotype mtDNA haplotypes. Amplicons melted for the three species between 75°C - 77°C and each species displayed distinct melting profiles. P. vulgaris melted at the lowest temperature, followed by P. intermedius, with P. pugio melting at the highest temperature. The assay designed in this study will be used in future saltmarsh ecology studies involving Palaemonetes spp., eliminating time-consuming and error-prone morphological identification. It will also reduce the potential inclusion of conspecifics that would affect the measures of differentiation and variability in genetic population studies

Executive Action to Expand Health Services in the Biden Administration

President Biden’s health platform is ambitious, encompassing a public insurance option, a reduced age of eligibility for Medicare, and expanded tax credits to subsidize premiums. Yet, with divided government, he may be unable to achieve bold health reforms. However, his administration can substantially improve health care access through executive action. In this Viewpoint, we propose a series of measures that could increase access to insurance coverage and health care that are achievable under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid

Atomistic study on the pressure dependence of the melting point of NdFe12

We investigated, using molecular dynamics, how pressure affects the melting point of the recently theorised and epitaxially grown structure NdFe12. We modified Morse potentials using experimental constants and a genetic algorithm code, before running two-phase solid-liquid coexistence simulations of NdFe12 at various temperatures and pressures. The refitting of the Morse potentials allowed us to significantly improve the accuracy in predicting the melting temperature of the constituent elements

Functional evolution of the trace amine associated receptors in mammals and the loss of TAAR1 in dogs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The trace amine associated receptor family is a diverse array of GPCRs that arose before the first vertebrates walked on land. Trace amine associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) is a wide spectrum aminergic receptor that acts as a modulator in brain monoaminergic systems. Other trace amine associated receptors appear to relate to environmental perception and show a birth-and-death pattern in mammals similar to olfactory receptors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Across mammals, avians, and amphibians, the TAAR1 gene is intact and appears to be under strong purifying selection based on rates of amino acid fixation compared to neutral mutations. We have found that in dogs it has become a pseudogene. Our analyses using a comparative genetics approach revealed that the pseudogenization event predated the emergence of the Canini tribe rather than being coincident with canine domestication. By assessing the effects of the TAAR1 agonist β-phenylethylamine on [³H]dopamine uptake in canine striatal synaptosomes and comparing the degree and pattern of uptake inhibition to that seen in other mammals, including TAAR1 knockout mice, wild type mice and rhesus monkey, we found that the TAAR1 pseudogenization event resulted in an uncompensated loss of function.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The gene family has seen expansions among certain mammals, notably rodents, and reductions in others, including primates. By placing the trace amine associated receptors in an evolutionary context we can better understand their function and their potential associations with behavior and neurological disease.</p

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders in neuronal xenotransplanted macaques

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) are a heterogeneous group of lymphoid proliferations that occur in the setting of depressed T-cell function due to immunosuppressive therapy used following solid organ transplantation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and also xenotransplantation. In the present study, 28 immunosuppressed parkinsonian Macaca fascicularis were intracerebrally injected with wild-type or CTLA4-Ig transgenic porcine xenografts to identify a suitable strategy to enable long-term cell survival, maturation, and differentiation. Nine of 28 (32%) immunosuppressed primates developed masses compatible with PTLD, located mainly in the gastrointestinal tract and/or nasal cavity. The masses were classified as monomorphic PTLD according to the World Health Organization classification. Immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses revealed that the PTLDs were associated with macaca lymphocryptovirus as confirmed by double-labeling immunohistochemistry for CD20 and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA-2), where the viral protein was located within the CD20+ neoplastic B cells. In sera from 3 distinct phases of the experimental life of the primates, testing by quantitative PCR revealed a progression of the viral load that paralleled the PTLD progression and no evidence of zoonotic transmission of porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus through xenoneuronal grafts. These data suggest that monitoring the variation of macaca lymphocryptovirus DNA in primates could be used as a possible early diagnostic tool for PTLD progression, allowing preemptive treatment such as immunosuppression therapy reduction

Quantum privacy and quantum coherence

We derive a simple relation between a quantum channel's capacity to convey coherent (quantum) information and its usefulness for quantum cryptography.Comment: 6 pages RevTex; two short comments added 7 October 199